(Updated) Bev Schick and Judy Kachkowski, members of the Fort Rouge Friday 2-person Stick Curling League, have won the Manitoba Stick Curling Association’s 2024 Women’s Championship.

Schick and Kachkowski won the 24-team event, February 2-4, in Warren with a final game 4-3 victory over Judy Kitching & Isla Hagborg (Stonewall).

Through the weekend, Schick & Kachkowski won 4 of their five round-robin games to qualify for the Sunday playoffs where they ran off three consecutive wins. In the round-robin, that single loss came in their opening game against Kitching & Hagborg, their final game opponents.

According to Judy Kachkowski, the key shot of the final day came in the semi-final against Heather Fontaine & Karen Pineau (St. Vital).  They were in a lot of trouble playing the final end. They used a time-out to make a plan – that plan turned out to be a perfect triple raise takeout to stick for shot and solidify the win.

According to Bev Schick, the turning point didn’t come until the fifth end of the final when Kachkowski scored a three to take a two-point lead coming home. Laying two that end, they actually had a rub and roll opportunity to score four but weight was off slightly so only the three went on the scoreboard.

For those unfamiliar, the unique rules of 2-person stick curling include playing a six-end game using six rocks per end with each person playing all six rocks in one direction and their partner playing them back.

As Manitoba’s newest champions, Schick & Kachkowski will be wearing the Manitoba colours at the Canadian Women’s Championship at Toronto’s Leaside Club in mid-April.

The other qualifiers for the playoff round were:
Joyce Dawydiuk & Betty Piotrowski, Fort Garry CC
Jean Pattyn & Sharon Biehl, St Vital CC
Lorna Marr & Val Kolsun, Springfield CC
Britta Spiring & Terri Beaudoin, Pembina CC
Alison King & Irene Runolfson, Warren CC

Kudos to Jim Rouse and the volunteers of the 3-sheet Warren Curling Club. The 24-team championship bonspiel was the largest 2-person Women’s Stick event yet staged in Manitoba.